Analyzing the Jay Cutler trade to the Bears

The Chicago Bears acquired Quarterback Jay Cutler from the Broncos’ Quarterback Kyle Orton, a 3rd round pick in 2009 and the Bears 2009 and 2010 first round picks. Will Jay Cutler be happy in Chicago? In Denver he had the freak Brandon Marshall and a great rookie receiver in Eddie Royal to throw the ball to. In Chicago he’ll be throwing the ball to… hold on a second I need to look at the Bears roster to see who their WRs are… oh yeah, Devin Hester, Rashied Davis and Marty Booker. Their two best receivers aren’t even WRs. Greg Olsen and Matt Forte are the two best pass catchers on the team and I give it 6 weeks before Jay Cutler is throwing a fit about how terrible his receivers are.

Does this turn the Bears into Super Bowl contenders? After all Jay Cutler is 12-1 when his defense allows 22 points or less. To me the answer is no. I think the Bears are now the favorite to win the NFC North but I don’t think they are even close to a lock. The Bears gave up the 18th most points in the league last year an average of 22 points a game. According to Cutlers record in those games the Bears should be around 14-2 next year, but it’s not going to happen. The Bears do have a great running back in Matt Forte but their offensive line is aging. All of the returning starters are 32 years of age or older, the team doesn’t have a FB and they don’t have a first round pick to fill any of their needs. On the defensive side of the ball Brian Urlacher is another year older and no one in the secondary can stay healthy. I think this is a good acquisition by the Bears but I wouldn’t say it thrusts them into Super Bowl contention.